Garmin Vivoactive 6 test: an elegant and competitive connected watch

Construction

On the design side, this vivoactive 6 is very close to its big sister, the vivoactive 5. We thus find a plastic case (polymer reinforced with fibers) overlooked by an identical aluminum telescope, except that it is 2 mm finer. Rather menu (42.2 x 42.2 x 10.9 mm), it is very light, only displaying 23 grams on the scale and 36 if the bracelet is added. Made of silicone, the latter does not irritate. And if it is not the most pleasant on the wrist, it is fortunately possible to replace it with another with the same width (20 mm). The whole is waterproof up to 5atm, enough to swim or shower, but not more: do not wear the watch during a diving or jet ski session, the too intense pressure change could break the case.

The Vivoactive 6 has an OLED screen of 1.2 inch, displaying in 390 x 390 px, exactly as on the previous model. This slab turns out to be successful and manages to remain pleasant and readable in full sun or in darkness.

User experience

This Vivoactive 6 runs under the Garmin operating system and offers up to 8 GB of RAM to store music – since it is not possible to download cards. This large memory continues to recall that this watch is above all designed to please a large audience. Like its cousins ​​from the Vivoactive 6 range, therefore offers a neat interface as possible – which also recalls that of the Samsung Galaxy Watch. If you don’t like the home screen, it is possible to modify it via the IQ connected Garmin app. The latter also makes it possible to synchronize applications on the wrist, such as Spotify or Deezer. The watch is associated with a Bluetooth helmet. Garmin Pay is also in the game.

For its part, the display of notifications remains very readable. Please note, however, the source application is not always indicated, it is therefore necessary to trust the context to understand where the text we read comes from – which topical app, for example. No microphone or speaker; It is therefore impossible to answer a call directly to the wrist. So a lifestyle watch, but not too much either.

On the new side, there is the Smart Alarm, whose promise is to wake you up at the best time in your sleep cycle. You will therefore receive a small vibration during a light sleep phase which coincides with the desired wake -up range. On the rest of the features, this vivoactive 6 offers most of what Garmin does. So we find Garmin Coach and his string of analysis.

To navigate in this vivoactive 6, use the two buttons placed on the right edge and the touch screen – not enough to scare a regular in the range. The upper button allows access to the main menu, while the lower button offers to go back. It will therefore be necessary to go through the touch screen to navigate the menus and validate a choice. Note that a triple click on the upper button allows you to launch your favorite physical activity – which you can of course configure. From the home screen, a finger shift from bottom to top gives access to the different data measured by the watch: number of steps, heart rate, body battery, sleep score etc. A reverse movement sends him on notifications. To access the shortcut menu and put your watch in “Do not disturb” or “sleep” mode, this movement must be made from the top of the main menu.

Like all the watches of the American manufacturer, the Vivoactive 6 synchronizes with the Garmin Connect application (iOS, Android). This is one of the best apps on the market. Very complete, it is divided into five parts. On the first is an assessment of the day with the physical activities recorded, the number of steps, the heart rate, the level of stress, the calories spent etc. A click on any of these metrics gives access to balance sheets over a day, a week, a month or a year. And this is the whole strength of the app: it is teeming with precise information (for the most part) and makes it possible to detect developments quickly. The second part is devoted to the gamification of sport via regularly updated challenges. The third part is dedicated to the calendar, while the fourth is doomed to sports programs. Finally, all the parameters and options linked to the account and peripherals are in the fifth and last part. The app also offers a wide vendues of parameters in order to best personalize its watch. And to go further, Garmin offers Connect IQ, a store where we find the applications compatible with the Vivoactive 6, but also many widgets and home screen. The whole is quite complete, although sometimes a little clutter.

Sport & Health

This Vivoactive 6 has a cardiofrequency meter, a GPS, a pulse oximeter, an accelerometer, a gyroscope and a thermometer. Here, no altimetric barometer, nor ECG. The watch also lacks the latest advances on the GPS and cardio side.

If the positioning system is well multi-GNSS (GPS, Glonass, Galileo, Qzss, Beidou), it is not double-band. It will therefore be a little less precise than the latest high -end models but remains satisfactory. In a wood or in town, its route remains coherent and largely limits the artifacts.

On the cardio side, the Vivoactive 6 has an Elevate Gen 4 sensor – when the high -end models embark the Gen 5. No need to worry either, it ensures the essentials. Thus, during a running session without variation in pace, the watch displays a curve very close to that of a poctoral belt Polar H10 which we consider very reliable.

During a session with long accelerations, no problem either. Below, the curve with 3 3-minute acceleration blocks.

On the other hand, it is when the accelerations become short (15 seconds) that the watch struggles to follow. For these training sessions, the Gen 5 sensor of the Forerunner is more precise.

Finally, the Vivoactive 6 offers a follow -up of sleep, the menstrual cycle and the oxygenation of the blood. So much data that we could not measure precisely, due to the lack of a dedicated laboratory. We must therefore be content to say that the measures seem consistent with the user’s feeling.